A Budding Insomniac
by ChocoChip101
Summary: Because of her overactive imagination, she became an insomniac, unable to sleep because of the nightmares. So in a desperate attempt to get some sleep, she goes to see the very man responsible for her nightmares for the first time since the war ended. Asucaga-oneshot.


**if u think about it, this is like a major sequel to All Just A Dream. three months later, the war's just finished, and stuff.**

**Prompt? my friend and i are insomniacs. just thought cagalli and _him_ might be as well with all that fighting, angst, war and stuff. heheh... i think this may be my favorite! enjoy!**

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******Rewritten: 07/02/13**

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**Summary:** Because of her overactive imagination, she became an insomniac, unable to sleep because of the nightmares. So in a desperate attempt to get some sleep, she goes to see the very man responsible for her nightmares for the first time since the war ended. Asucaga-oneshot.

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It was late.

Too late to fall asleep, but too early to be awake, as it was only a couple of hours before dawn.

And tonight was yet another night in which she would be wandering the halls of the Athha Mansion. So why was the golden-haired princess of Orb still awake, wandering around her home aimlessly yet _again_?

It was because that some time after the first Bloody Valentine War to the end of the second, she had become an insomniac.

She never got much sleep in the first place, not since after the first war, but it wasn't the _lack_ of sleep the bothered her. In fact, she had not problem falling asleep. The second her head hit the pillows, she would be dead to the world, but not long after, she would wake up from a terrible nightmare and be unable to fall back asleep, in fear of seeing the same images again.

Many things could've contributed to her insomnia. It could've been the stacks of reports and forms that seemed to grow every passing day. It could've been the annoyance towards the council members that insisted on arguing every detail of treaties and poking at every possible flaw that their enemies might take advantage of. Or maybe it was the stress of taking core of the nation her late father left her.

But the number one reason? Her stupid imagination.

Ever since she was little, everyone has always told her she was too imaginative for her own good. From childhood to becoming a 16 year old self-declared rebel, she believed that it was possible for world peace to be obtained without bloodshed. However, after the first war, her ideals became something more realistic, but her imagination still ran in her mind.

And it took shape in the form of a dream. A nightmare.

Cagalli was a dreamer. Be it a daydream, a dream-dream, or just someone with unrealistic ideals for her home and the world, she was a dreamer, an imagining-er. Her mind wandered aimlessly with the things she worried about.

So when the words _war, imminent death, injury _and _friends_ came together, her imagination took advantage those fears and gave them a form that haunted her all through the night.

Not participating in the second war was necessary. She needed to show her people and the council members that she was completely devoted to her nation, that nothing was going to distract her. But it was absolutely frightening. She didn't know what was happening up in space, where the real fight was. She didn't know whether they were still alive, unharmed, not dying. The nightmares gave her fears life in her mind, showing her every possible macabre future for the people she knew.

So Cagalli made it her personal goal to make sure none of those horrific dreams came true by seeing every single person to make sure they were alive and well.

She made sure Lacus was not missing any limbs or choking on blood, then found Kira to make sure he wasn't dead. Everyone else followed easily. Captain Murrue Ramius, Shinn, Dearka, even Yzak with his everlasting scowl were all alive and well, if not a bit traumatized. The nightmares of their deaths vanished.

Three months after the war now, only one person's death still haunted her dreams and kept her from getting even a few precious hours of sleep.

A certain blue haired, green-eyed Coordinator, whose name was not to be mentioned in her presence.

She tried very hard to forget about him. Very hard. Bit it was difficult because he was her first love interest, and even more difficult since she kept the dumb ring he gave her. She couldn't bring herself to throw it away, and since she was avoiding him, she couldn't return it either. He was on her mind all the time. Everything reminded her of him, from the vibrant green leaves on the trees, to the stubborn cat she begrudgingly let wander her mansion.

So that was why she was sneaking off to the unofficially declared forbidden part of the Athha Mansion. It was the part of the building where guests stayed, and also where a certain blue-haired, green-eyed Coordinator (whose name was not to be mentioned in her presence) was staying.

After the war, _he_ resigned from the Zaft military and accepted the empty post of Admiral Kisaka had offered her.

So there she was, trying to sneak her way down the corridors to his room. She didn't even need to think about where she was going. Cagalli knew the steps, and turns by heart. It scared her that she still remembered where his old room was, even after all this time.

"Lady Cagalli?" a voice said.

Cagalli froze and looked up in surprise to see a young man standing by the door to the garden. He was wearing the specially tailored Orb uniform that told her he was one of her bodyguards. He didn't bother to salute her because she made it clear on Day 1 that she wanted her _home_ to feel like _home_ and not some sort of military base.

What _was_ she doing here? What was she _thinking_? Was she so desperate to get a couple hours of sleep that she was risking a scandal? If word got out that Chief Representative Cagalli Athha was sneaking off in the dead of the night to visit a _man_, it would destroy her. It would put herself in a scandal so great that it would most definitely give the conspiring members of the council the opportunity to take her position. It didn't help that she was wearing nothing but the silk nightgown Myrna insisted she wear to sleep.

But she was desperate. She realized that it was either risk a scandal, or no sleep for the rest of her life, and God knows how much she loved her sleep.

"I- I just need to make sure he's okay, and..." Her voice trailed off, unsure of what else to say.

The guard stared at the princess carefully and sighed. He knew he should be radioing in her position, just like Kisaka told them all to. When she had first started her midnight strolls, the guards started shadowing her, keeping track of where she was going. But...

The guard turned his head away from her discreetly. "Only because if you stop wandering the halls than I don't need to take the nightshift anymore."

She gave him a smile that made it all seem worth it before quietly opening the door to the garden and cutting through it for a faster way to _his_ room.

Finally, after almost tripping on some steps, running through two more halls and another door, she was there.

Standing in front of his door, it seemed to loom over her mockingly. She took a deep breath, her heart beating faster and faster. As her fingers curled around the cold metal of the doorknob, a feeling of familiarity washed through her. She cursed the feeling.

She slowly and hesitantly twisted the knob, and gently pushed the door open. The door barely opened to an inch before a soft, eerie creak echoed down the halls. She let out a string of curses under her breath.

Cagalli wanted to turn tail and run, but by not it was too late to turn back. Her heart was racing, and felt like it was ready to burst. She suddenly didn't know if sleep was worth re-meeting him. But she was too far in to back down now. So she held the door still as she leaned in towards the three inch wide crack, peering inside the surprisingly well-lit room. Even with the three-inch viewing space, she had a perfect view of the bed, thanks to the moonlight that poured through the large window in front of the door.

The bed, just like she remembered, was large but simple, with plain white sheets, blanket and a single pillow. Unlike the other bedrooms with expensive, soft, and fluffy sheets and blankets and dozens of pillows, _his_ room was simple and basic. Even from where she was, she could see the head of blue hair that stuck out from under the covers. He was sleeping with his back facing the door, which was unusual because he usually slept with it facing the wall. An overwhelming wave of relief washed over her.

Letting out a breath of air she didn't even know she was holding, she pulled the door closed, and when it finally clicked shut, she felt her knees give way under her. She fell onto the carpeted floor, her back against the wall. For so long she had dreamed of him dying over and over in a different way every night. She couldn't describe the relief she felt. She was relieved he was alive, and not missing an arm or an eye, and she was relieved that she could finally get some much needed sleep.

She felt heavy, but in a good way. Before, it felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders, but now, the weight was gone, leaving only a wonderful feeling of fatigue. She took a deep breath, preparing herself to return to her room, but all logic seemed to escape her as her hands gripped the fabric of the soft carpet. The carpet was soft. Softer than she remembered, and the the moonlight and slight breeze that poured through an open window from down the corridor was like a lullaby, slowly but surely, coaxing her and pulling her into the land of dreams.

Cagalli felt herself lower her body onto the carpet, and snuggle into the soft flooring as she thought, _Maybe I can rest for a minute. Yes, just for a moment..._ And then she was gone, falling asleep on the carpet that covered the floor.

...

The next morning, Cagalli woke up in her own bed.

She found herself curled up in a ball in the centre of her bed with the blankets tucked securely around her. She never gave much thought about how she ended up in her bed instead of laying on the carpet outside _his _room. She thought it was Kisaka who carried her back.

But she seened to have forgotten that she was a light sleeper, and only two people in the whole world could move her without waking her up.

Her deceased father, and _him_.

Athrun Zala.

...

Athrun Zala saw Cagalli for the first time face to face after the war when he left his room, thinking there was another assassin outside the door. He had left the security of his room with his gun, ready to get rid of whoever it was that interrupted his sleep, but instead of finding a stranger dressed in dark clothes and armed with weapons meant to end his life, he found Cagalli. She was sleeping soundly outside his door with a content smile, looking completely at peace and as beautiful as he remembered.

He smiled at the sight, and it widened when he noticed the dark circles under her eyes, because at that moment, he knew that she was as worried about him as he was of her.

And maybe now he can get some sleep too.

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**yup. definitely my favorite so far.**

**so who else are insomniacs?**

**-Sammiches**


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